Gaelic influence in Iceland : historical and literary contacts : a survey of research

Second edition with a new introduction. 1st ed. 1988 as Studia Islandica 46. Scholars of Old Icelandic generally agree that Icelandic literature was influenced by the Gaelic world where oral literature was highly developed and written prose sagas were produced in the vernacular. Ireland and Iceland are the only countries in NW Europe where sagas of this kind were written down. The problem arises however when the importance of the influence on Icelandic culture has to be assessed. In this book, the author looks at the possible channels by which Gaelic influence could have reached Iceland and looks at the nature of the numerous parallels in different genres of Old Icelandic literature with Gaelic literature, especially Old Irish. The intention is twofold: first, to provide a comprehensive bibliography of the subject, and second, to assess what these parallels can tell us about the importance of Gaelic influence for Icelandic literary tradition. This is the 2nd revised edition, with a new preface, and new general introduction. PREFACE i INTRODUCTION iv CHAPTER I: VIKING CONTACTS WITH THE IRISH IN THE BRITISH ISLES BEFORE 1014 14 Pre-Viking Contacts 14 Ninth and Tenth Century Contacts 16 CHAPTER II: THE GAELS IN ICELAND 24 Papar 24 Gaelic Settlers 25 Slaves 30 CHAPTER III: BLOOD GROUPS OF ICELANDERS AND OTHER GENETIC EVIDENCE 35 CHAPTER IV: LATER CONTACTS BETWEEN ICELAND AND THE GAELIC WORLD ON THE ORKNEYS 41 The Nature of the Contacts 41 The 'Everlasting Fight'– Hjaðningavíg 42 Orkneyinga saga – Severed Heads 45 Miscellaneous 46 Darraðarljóð and Krákumál 46 Konungs Skuggjsá 46 Battle of Clontarf 47 CHAPTER V: FORNALDARSÖGUR NORÐURLANDA 48 Late Writing of Older Oral Stories 48 Evidence of Oral Fornaldarsögur 51 Gaelic Influence in the Fornaldarsögur 53 General Resemblances 54 Rebirth 54 Rebirth and Barrows 56 Barrows and Journeys to the Otherworld 56 Álfar, Huldufólk and Síd-folk 60 Voyages to the West 61 Supernatural Fosterages 62 Single Motifs 64 Starkaðr and Cú Chulainn 64 Injuries in Dream 66 Werewolves and Álög – Spells 67 The Beheading Game 70 Irish Substratum in Some Fornaldarsögur 70 CHAPTER VI: MYTHOLOGY 73 Scandinavian Background 73 Single Gaelic Motifs 74 The Sons of Tuireann and Loki 74 Táin Bó Fraích and Þórr’s Visit to Gerröðr 75 Death of Fergus – Death of Baldr 77 The Masterbuilder 78 Þórr’sVisit to Útgarða-Loki 80 Talking Heads 81 Rígsþula 82 CHAPTER VII: THE ICELANDIC FAMILY SAGAS 86 Local Influence on Individual Sagas 86 Laxdæla Saga 87 Kjalnesinga Saga 90 Bandamanna Saga 93 Bárðar Saga Snæfellsáss and Eyrbyggja Saga 95 Kormáks Saga 95 Egils Saga 98 Njáls Saga 100 CHAPTER VIII: SCALDIC POETRY 103 Earliest Scalds and Evidence of Early Scaldic Poetry 103 Scaldic Poetry – Eddaic Poetry 106 Scaldic Metres 107 Gabriel Turville-Petre’s Studies 108 Einar Ólafur Sveinsson’s Studies 112 MacKenzie’s Studies 114 Kristján Árnason’s Studies 116 CHAPTER IX: CONCLUSIONS 118 BIBLIOGRAPHY 120 INDEX OF TEXTS, AUTHORS AND CRITICS 156 INDEX OF CHARACTERS AND PLACES 163 Gísli Sigurðsson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [120]-155) And Indexes.